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firenagy · 9 days ago

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I said I could make a whole essay about why this is my favorite line in Slay the Princess and @lobsterlobotomiseslobos challenged me to go ahead and do it so here's that. Posted on discord and was told to share it here as well. This was written for a group of people who had varying levels of experience with this game, so I cover a lot of the basics.

Let's start with the very fundamentals, this is not a line that is said, instead, it is one of the first things you think of after ascending to godhood and making the decision that change is a fundamentally necessary force in the universe. Everything in this sequence is packed with necessary context, and emotions that hit only after you experience all of it, however I'll do my best to summarise it, since even players who finished the game can miss some very important info in this part.

You and Her were once one unchallenged god. The themes of self discovery and self exploration through comparison of the self with the other are crucial to the game, exemplified specially during your very first meeting with the princess. If you explore your options, talking to yourself in the form of the Voice of the Hero and to the Narrator, it's quickly apparent that this world doesn't really exist. Or rather, that the only parts of the world that exist, for all intents and purposes, are you, the path in the woods, the cabin, and the Princess. This includes things like your and her name and background, which upon scrutiny are nonexistent. Crucially, the narrator is also not real. You can talk to him all you want and he can experience some slight manner of growth, but the person whose memories and personalities make up the narrator is long gone, leaving behind an echo in hopes of guiding you to do what he wants. to kill what was once part of you.

The Narrator, or rather, the person who died in order to create the echo you meet in the game, was a normal person, possibly a human hinted by the princess' appearance. This person seems to have lived at a time so far beyond our own it's hard to describe, but is best put as the last remains of civilization living, holding out, as the very last stars in our universe burn out. As he sees it, change only brings upon death and destruction, because his world already had time to grow and prosper, with now being the end of everything. We also get a rare glimpse at the world of the narrator, beyond the faux reality, if we choose to slay Her.

That brings us to the content of the game itself, two nascent gods interacting, fighting, loving, discovering who they are. Their only point of reference for what is "real" being one another. The Shifting Mound uses a line that stuck with me to describe the state of your being,"We are oceans reduced to shallow creeks", as a way to describe what it feels to be forced down into a tiny vessel, memories erased. All of the routes in the game can be described as a journey of self discovery, with the Princess being a being of perception, your thoughts on her influence her mentally and physically. In turn, she influences you back in a far more subtler way, adding more facets to your personality in the form of the Voices.

And that is the setting of our meeting. Two gods who were once one whole being having a conversation. They were forced, over and over again, to figure out who they are. Both having nothing but fragments to go by, small pieces of what they once made up, until finally, She is made whole. The Princess' ascension into the Shifting Mound is a sight to behold, and brings upon your own ascension were you to wish to become a god like her.

In this particular ending, the Long Quiet, the god of unchanging reality, stasis, and nothingness itself decides to leave with Her, the Shifting Mound, the god of life, death, time, and ultimately, change. As you open a rift in the world the Narrator created you two see for the first time object reality. You are both left speechless by how magnificent it all is, something that wasn't made to trick, deceive, or guide you into any role you must fulfil, made with no greater purpose than to just be.

That's the crux of why this line is so important to me, after having lived, fought, loved, died, countless times in a world that was fake, created to pit you one against the other, you finally escape. You are free, and She is with you, as you are once more free to roam the real universe after being trapped in a cage for so long.

#text post #slay the princess #slay the princess spoilers #stp spoilers #pretty big post #I made this more so to verbalize my thoughts on the ending #this contains some things which are objectively true in the game #and some which are my interpretation of things

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dira333 · 22 days ago

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Unstoppable Force meets immovable Object - Tenya Iida x Reader

misunderstanding, friends to lovers - for @shoulmate for the Milestone Event Week 1

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Tenya is big, even at five years old.

He’s very respectful, always, though not always as careful with his hands.

“Ouch!” You hold your head, wondering about the size of the bump that’s going to come out where he hit you while waving, chopping through the air.

“I’m so sorry!” Tenya has a lisp too, barely there but only for those who know. You think it makes him sound extra sweet when he apologizes, when he repeats the word sorry over and over until he’s forgiven.

Your favorite Hero is the Space Hero: Thirteen, Tenya’s favorite Hero is his big brother.

“Turbo Hero: Ingenium!” He tells you to write it on every possible occasion because your handwriting is prettier and you can do the flashy letters that you often see on merch.

Childhood is easy with Tenya around, with his big hand around yours when you have to cross the street and his shoulder to cry on when you don’t get the best mark on your test, his earnestness when it comes to studying and his stupidly cute guilty smile when you manage to convince him to go play instead, knees muddy and faces stained with dirt.

Even when you have to part for the school year, for all three years of middle school, it’s nothing but a pebble in your path, just a few hours spent apart that make the time spent together all the more worthwhile.

“He said what?” You will ask, sitting crisscross applesauce on his bed as he retells his day at school and he will humm and haw as you practice makeup on him, figure out that mascara can also be used as a weapon and glittery eyeshadow really suits him.

And then summer will come and you will run out to play until evening, do your best to convince him to come to the beach with you, to just laze around instead of trying to break his record of how long he can swim without a break.

You will buy him an ice cream cone knowing he has more pocket money than you and sometimes, when the heat is going straight to your head, you will ask to have a taste of it and put your lips where his had been, thinking what it would be like to kiss him.

Tenya is home.

He is home in a way that hurts sometimes, when you want to be free, want to explore, and yet always come back.

When you take a step outside and look back only to find him waiting, yet never dare to open the doors you desperately want to peek behind.

- - -

“I’m going to U.A.,” Tenya tells you over the phone, quietly, because he should be in bed and you should be too.

“Oh,” you hesitate, looking down at your letter. You haven’t opened it yet.

You’re not sure if you want to go to U.A. too. You know what you want to do, work in Search and Rescue like Thirteen, but you don’t know if you can endure another three years with Tenya this close and yet so far away.

Though, what other choices do you have? You think about going away, to America, or just across the border. Tenya would still be here, only a phone call away, even closer in your mind.

So you open the letter with a jackhammer heart, find the sentence that matters in the jumble of words and don’t know if you’re supposed to be relieved or overcome with sadness.

“I’m going to U.A. too. Support Class.”

Tenya is fast and you are sturdy and yet you want to go, always go, further and farther than you have before, while he could care less if the earth stopped moving today, if he never got past the step he took this morning.

To him, growth is not about distance. To you, it’s nothing but.

Tenya’s Class is the one that gets attacked.

And though you’re surely not the last one informed, it feels that way.

Training sure is hard, even more so when you need to beat the Hero Class to get a shot at switching over, so you pretend you’re not disappointed when you see him less and less.

But then the Sports Festival Happens.

You’re not sure what feels worse.

Watching Mei Hatsume and Tenya fight, the sheer absurdity of it all, and the rumours already going around… or realizing that even after all this training, you’re still not good enough.

Your Quirk might not allow you to move mountains, but keeping them upright should not be met with this lack of interest.

You wonder, not without self-loathing, if the world forgot too that Atlas was carrying it still.

Tenya is home, but the doors are closed and your key lies inside.

You hear about Tensei from your parents, not him.

Your calls go to voicemail, your messages are left on read.

Maybe, if you could fly or throw a stone real good, you could make at least one last impression on him before he forgets you for real, but all you can do, will do, is make sure that his house will keep standing.

Tenya might have been your home, but you will survive not being his.

- - -

- One year later -

“Hey,” you look up from the newspaper in your hands, the morning dew cold under your feet.

For a hilariously awkward moment, you think it’s Tensei down by the gate, his broad shoulders blocking out the sun.

But Tensei’s still firmly tied to a wheelchair and this guy is standing upright.

“Hi?” You ask back, digging your toes into the ground.

“Can I- come in?”

“Sure,” you shrug your shoulders. “Mom and Dad are in the kitchen.”

You turn your back on him, which is a big no-no for every soon-to-be Hero so you turn around again, pinprick showers going up and down your back. “I’ll follow you in.”

“I’m here for you,” he announces, not one step closer to the front door.

“Oh.” Time freezes to a halt.

It’s been ages since you’ve last seen him in person. In the hallways after the Sports Festival in your first year, maybe?

Or that awkward last visit to his house when he pretended to be sleeping so his mom would send you back down to the living room? You heard that mumbling from the inside of his room, you’re not deaf.

He’s grown taller, yes, but there’s a roughness to him now, like one dragged sandpaper all over his features.

You’ve seen him on TV, fighting for his life, read articles about it too.

Your best friend, your very own personal Hero, Turbo Hero: Ingenium.

You always leave out the ex, thinking about him. It hurts too much, even on good days.

“Can I still come in?” Tenya asks.

“Why?”

He hesitates. “W-why?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I-” He swallows. You wish he would step out of the sunlight. You long to see his eyes again, despite hating yourself for it. Are they still as blue as the deep blue sea?

“You’re not in school anymore.”

“I switched.” You swallow the pettiness that wants to make him ask. “I’m at Shiketsu now. Hero Class.”

“Why?”

You shrug. “There was nothing keeping me at U.A.”

It’s a lie and you wonder if he knows it. That you gave up, in more ways than one.

“I heard you fought in the war,” he adds now, still standing at the gate, still blocking out the sun. He’s stubborn, that one.

You snort against your own will. “That’s not fighting.”

“It is to me.”

You shrug. “Well,” you hesitate. Screw your heart for being too soft. “Do you wanna come in now or what?”

“I like your Hero Name,” Tenya adds in the privacy of your room, his voice too quiet for a boy this tall. “Atlas. Like the Titan, right?”

“Hmm,” you make, trying not to notice how his knee just knocked into yours, or how warm it is, skin pressed against skin.

“I-” Tenya hesitates again. “I need to tell you something…. about myself.”

So you sit there, listening, as he tells you about a man named Stain and the revelation that there’s more darkness hiding in a kind man’s soul than the two of you could ever have imagined.

“But I’m…” Tenya closes his hand into a fist. “I’m good now, I think. Better, at least. Worthy to be called a Hero, maybe. If you… if you can forgive me. For how I treated you. I pushed you away because I didn’t want to…” Helpless he moves his hands around, narrowly avoiding your head.

“Sorry,” he says, but without the lisp you haven’t craved hearing as much as you do today.

You sit there, with your hurt and your longing, looking at him. Knowing that he’s not the only one with a secret, though his had been darker than yours.

“I want to forgive you,” you admit. “And I wonder if that makes me a pushover. Because I always forgive you, you know. Even when you eat the last of my fries or make me do extra laps.” You only realize you’re talking in present tense when he smiles, shyly, back at you.

“But I cannot go back to just being friends, you know? I have… feelings for you, Tenya. Have had them for quite a while. And I can’t just be just friends again.”

He nods, turns his eyes up to the ceiling as if the answer to all questions is written there to see.

“I talked about this, a lot, with… uh… Shouto and Izuku, my friends. Ochako too. I’m not an expert on this, by far, but I… never questioned, that we’d be together, you know?”

You sigh. “At one point-”

“No,” he interrupts you softly, “not like that, I…” His hand reaches out, rests warm and heavy on your knee, like a hiker putting his hand on the first boulder of a mountain. “Like forever. Together, forever, the two of us. I just… didn’t know I had to tell you.”

And it’s there, his confession, in the faint red on his cheeks and the softness in his eyes, how he can’t fully look you in the eyes, but can’t look away either.

And unbidden, a question comes into your mind.

What happens if an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?

There’s only one way to find out.

- - -

Turbo Hero: Ingenium. That is Tenya, tall, handsome, yours.

He smiles when he sees you at work, always respectful and always a little bit too much of a fanboy.

“It’s Pro Hero Atlas!” He whispers in awe when he watches, useless, as you carry buildings on your shoulders, put them back where they belong.

Sometimes, when he’s feeling petty, he helps you start arguments with Pro Hero Dynamight, just to watch you win - you’ve got the public opinion in your bag after all.

He’s very respectful, always, carries your bags up from the car and pretends not to notice when you eat ice cream before dinner.

But he’s very human too, forgetting his phone at home and his wallet at work, tends to try and shoulder his worries alone when he’s got you to share the load.

Life isn’t easy but it’s easier with Tenya around.

With his big hand around yours when you cross the street and his shoulder to cry on when you don’t get to save everyone. His earnestness when it comes to safety and his stupidly cute guilty smile when you convince him to take a cheat day, laze around and eat cake for breakfast, mix the flavors with a well-meaning kiss.

Even when you have to part for work it’s nothing but a pebble in your path, just a few hours spent apart that make the time spent together all the more worthwhile.

“Shouto did what?” You will ask, sitting crisscross applesauce on his lap as he retells his day at work and he will humm and haw as you try Cosplay on him, figure out that he can totally pull off a bold red lip with the Shouto-Costume you bought.

Tenya is home.

He is home in a way that hurts sometimes, when you worry if it will hold out against every storm, when you figure out another thing that needs renovating, replacing, not just decorating.

He’s willing to work on it, leaves the doors open for the sun to come in, knowing you’ll be here for the rain too.

#my writing #bnha x reader #bnha #mha x reader #mha #mha fluff #bnha fluff #angst to fluff #tenya x reader #tenya iida #tenya #ingenium #ingenium x reader #ingenium fluff #tenya fluff #iida fluff #milestone event

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anneapocalypse · 3 months ago

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On Wuk Lamat, and Female Characters in FFXIV

The Thing with Wuk Lamat is you can tell me you think she had too much screentime; you can give me numbers on how many lines she had or how many scenes she's in relative to other characters or other expacs; you can prove to me "objectively" that she gets more focus than other main NPCs; you're simply not going to convince me that this is something I should be unhappy about. And not just because it's silly to think you can use numbers to prove a story is good or bad and make someone else go, "Wow, you're right, let me just throw away all the joy I experienced with this story and revise my opinion because you've scientifically proven to me that I'm wrong."

Because while I love Final Fantasy XIV and I have greatly enjoyed its story in so many ways, fundamentally one of my biggest beefs with this game has been how much female characters have been denied complex character arcs and growth and agency and interiority.

Minfilia gets treated as a sacrificial vessel who lives for everyone but herself and doesn't even get to have feelings about her own death because that entire arc is focused on a male character's angst about it instead. The game tells us in the Heavensward patches that Krile sees Minfilia as her best friend and then just forgets about that later and never follows up on what that loss must have meant to her. Ysayle is basically right about most of what she's fighting for but harboring a bit of self-delusion is apparently such a terrible sin that she has to pay for it with her life, while her male foil is deemed so worthy of salvation that there's a whole plot point about how important it is that we risk our lives and others' lives to save him. Y'shtola is a major character who's been around since the beginning, and the game keeps dropping maddeningly interesting things about her (apprenticed to a cranky old witch in a cave! saved her own life and the lives of her friends with an illegal and dangerous spell and it worked! reserved and undemonstrative yet regularly through her actions reveals herself to be deeply caring! disabled!) and then shows complete disinterest in following up on any of those things with the kind of depth and care shown to male characters with complex arcs like Urianger.

In general there is also a repeated thread of female characters being portrayed as weak or overly emotional: Minfilia is weak because she doesn't fight and needs to be eaten by a god in order to gain "a strength long sought." Krile is portrayed as not being able to pull her weight with the Scions (despite the fact that she actively keeps five of them from dying in Shadowbringers) and the only thing they could think of for her to do in Endwalker was be yet another vessel for Hydaelyn (hmm, that sounds familiar) and it's not until Dawntrail that she gets much actual character development in the main story and even that has to come alongside "Look, she can fight now so that means she's useful." (And I love Picto!Krile, I'm just saying, there's a pattern.) Alisaie, despite having very good reasons for needing to find her own path apart from her brother, is portrayed as having to prove herself when she returns, that she's "not the girl she once was," and "will not be a burden" (while Alphinaud is repeatedly given the benefit of the doubt and reassurance and affirmation from other characters even after he takes on responsibilities he isn't ready for and fucks up big time).

And if you follow me you know I adore Urianger, and I love Alphinaud and Thancred and Estinien too, so please don't misunderstand what I'm saying here! I'm not knocking those characters, or saying we shouldn't also love them. I just use them as a comparison to demonstrate how the female characters have been neglected.

Lyse has some of the stronger character development among the female Scions, and while she's still kind of portrayed as being too emotional and hotheaded in early Stormblood, I think it's actually explored in more depth in a way that I like; Lyse has good reasons for wanting to fight for her nation's freedom, but having been away from Ala Mhigo for several years now, she needs to understand the stakes for the people who've been there fighting for years, what they've lost and still have to lose. She grows as a person and rises to the challenge of leadership, and I'm even okay with the fact that she leaves the Scions afterward because it feels right for her to stay in Ala Mhigo, and at least she doesn't die.

And by all accounts she was, like Wuk Lamat, widely hated when her expansion came out.

Unironically I think the other female Scion with the strongest character arc is Tataru. She tries to take up a combat job, finds that it's not for her, and decides to focus on where her strengths are instead. In doing so, she both holds the Scions together as an organization in the absence of a leader by capably managing their finances, and also comes into her own as a businesswoman and makes international connections that benefit both the Scions and her personally. In contrast to Minfilia, she's not portrayed as weak because she doesn't fight, and is actually allowed to be an important character who's good for more than being sacrificed. Tataru is still distinctly in a supporting role for the player character, however, and her character arc happens as a side story that takes up a relatively small amount of screentime over several expansions, which I think is probably why she doesn't evoke such a negative reaction.

But there is a pattern of the game's writing showing disinterest in the interior lives of female characters generally, and in making their growth the focus of a story.

So yeah, I'm going to be happy about Wuk Lamat! I'm going to enjoy and celebrate every moment of her character arc, of her personal growth, of watching her put the lessons she's learned into action. I'm going to love and treasure every moment when she gets to be silly, embarrassing, emotional, scared, grieving, confused, upset, seasick, impulsive, and still deemed worthy of growing into a hero and a leader. I will love her with all of my soul and you simply will not convince me that it wasn't worth the screentime after such a profound imbalance for basically the entirety of the game. We've never had a major female character get such a strong arc with this much love and attention put into it and that means more to me than I can truly say. The backlash to it is disheartening, as this kind of thing always is, but I'm not going to let it ruin the wonderful experience I had playing it and how much joy it continues to bring me.

And for those of you who don't want any of that for a female character, thank goodness you have Heavensward and Shadowbringers and Endwalker and no one can take those away from you.

(And if you follow me you know that I love Shadowbringers and Endwalker and have very fond memories of Heavensward despite some issues with it, so not only can I not take that from you, I am not trying to!)

Some of us have been real hungry for a character like this with an arc like this, so, I think, y'know, maybe we can have that. As a treat.

#this has been sitting in my drafts #i held off on posting it and i'm tagging minimally #but yeah i still feel this #wuk lamat #ffxiv stuff #afk by the aetheryte #dawntrail spoilers #ffxiv critical #anne's ishgardian salt rock #dawntrail

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writingescapades · 1 month ago

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Life with Rafayel

A/N: I've been thinking a lot about Rafayel. His personality, character, story, and the relationship he has with his previous incarnations and this word vomit came out.

Detached from the world. Spontaneous mini trips. Short drives to isolated spots where you both take long walks, often camping in the car itself in order to catch that sunrise and sunset. Huddling together with warm tea and quiet music playing as you both watch the landscape and have soft conversations. He loves taking photos of nature, but also candid moments were you both can just be silly because no one is watching.

Aimless walks together. Walks with no direction or time limit where you both can catch up and soak in nature. He loves winter walks where he can hear your voice and you enjoy the windy days where you find his hand holding onto yours. You’ll often find little spots that you claim as your secret rendezvous. Places where you can find one another when the world can’t.

A life of wonder and curiosity. The human world demands logic and labour, Rafayel understands that better than anyone. But he doesn’t want that world to find its way into your life and the life you both share. He wants you to retain that wonder for the world. To rekindle that affection it holds as your eyes become mesmerized once more with its beauty. He wants you to remember the joys you took in your interests and hobbies and to make time for them over materialistic consumption and shallow pastimes. Nights of playing games, throwing riddles at one another, painting together, learning a new hobby, reading, or just chatting the night away until you both pass out.

No expectations. Rafayel goes into the relationship with no expectations from you. He doesn’t want to place your relationship into a mold. You both experienced too many life times of that. In this new world, with this new opportunity, Rafayel prefers watching your relationship’s unregulated growth. Life is short and every decision comes with consequences. Knowing that, Rafayel still chooses unconventional paths, even if they don’t make sense to him, he knows he prefers the unknown unconventional to the conventional path his heart is rejecting.

Artistic temperament. Mood swings. Intensity. Passion. Listlessness. Weeks of focus followed by months of being lost in his own world. All humans are artistic, but most avoid displaying their true behaviours. But Rafayel is not ashamed of his personality. If you share his artistic temperament, he encourages you to be yourself around him. If you too get lost in your own world, he wants to dive in with you. He doesn’t ridicule or scoff when doubt enters your mind, or when you find yourself questioning your existence or purpose. Even if you don’t share his temperament, he encourages you to dig dip and discover yourself through art. A life with Rafayel is a life of depth and meaning.

Fun. Life with Rafayel is fun. He’s been alive for so long he’s learned how to keep the magic of life alive. Life never falls into a set pattern or rhythm with him. It will never become humdrum and boring. He is someone you can fully trust, but never fully understand. He’s always slipping in and out of your fingers. When we lose someone, we lose the language we built with them. The language was only understood between the two of you, and, above all, that is what we mourn the loss of most. This holds true to Rafayel. A language built over lifetimes filled with teasing, sass, sarcasm, riddles, stories, and questions, all make Rafayel into a familiar enigma.

Emotionally reliable. Lemurians can see more colours than humans, who is to say they can’t experience or express more emotions? Can’t articulate your emotions well? Grew up being told to shove them down? Accustomed to wearing a mask and putting up a wall? Rafayel knows the feeling all too well. He knows how cruel the world can be, as a god and as a fish out of water. He’s best friends with the agony of failure, the sharp bite of isolation and ache of loneliness. With Rafayel, you don’t need to speak for him to understand. Yes, he will confront you to pull out what you want to desperately hide, but he will never ridicule you or expect your negative emotions to just go away. He encourages you to bring them up to the surface and express them akin to how waves crash onto the shore, recede, then crash again.

Companionship. Holding hands, pecks, entwining arms and legs are salves to Rafayel. The distance a god must carry. The pedestal a famous artist must stand on, and the centuries of being alone have made Rafayel crave companionship. It doesn’t always have to be physical affection, but just having that proximity with someone. To come into a room and hear a voice. To wake up to someone placing a blanket on top of him after another all-nighter. To ask someone about their day and hear concerns on his health. To look behind him and see you sitting nearby doing your own thing. Rafayel knows how to cherish mere existence after going so long without it, but to see someone doing the same for him is new. After all, what god can grant their own wishes? What god is even allowed to wish?

A life with Rafayel is to die knowing you have lived

#writing #love and deep space #loveanddeepspace #love and deepspace #love and deepspace x reader #lads rafayel #lads x reader #lads rafayel x reader #love and deep space rafayel #love and deepspace rafayel #rafayel love and deepspace #rafayel x reader

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meanbossart · 4 months ago

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I was wondering, what with the lovely couple aiming to cure Astarion's vampirism and all–

when the time actually comes, if ever, for Astarion to take that leap and abandon immortality, would DU!Drow have second thoughts? Perhaps, even, try stopping him? Not because he doesn't want Astarion to be happy, but because he would begin to age and has new vulnerabilities, making DU!Drow immensely paranoid/insecure.

This came to me because of the Bhaalist!AU where we see him sabotage Astarion's ascension. I mean, I'm going to assume he's much less toxic in the canon path 👀

Yes he is not as humongous of an ass canonically, LOL. Still an asshole, but he's very earnest and fairly eager to learn how to be a better person to those he cares about, not to mention the random bout of stranger's empathy here and there.

But for your actual question, it depends! There are two wolves inside the man: one who suffers whenever he has to see Astarion being hindered by his vampirism, and one who still secretly enjoys him depending on him to an extent because of it. There is also a third, secret wolf called "maybe he's trying to be okay with this vampire thing and he would be better off for it, actually" that has been trying to crawl its way to the forefront on two broken legs for months, but we ignore that one.

And, of course, DU drow is easily swayed by Astarion's will when he puts things just the right way to convince him - which he knows how to do. If becoming mortal was a snap of the fingers away, all Astarion would have to do is get the wet eyes out and he would probably get his way.

His "baby please I only wish to take one last mortal piss before I perish for good" face. (I was laughing at some screenshots on another tab and had to come up with an excuse to put this one here, sorry.)

Anyways, while DU drow is canonically and vehemently searching for a "cure" for Astarion, his actual opinions on how the outcome of such would affect them vary depending on the day you ask him about it, and just how much thought you can assuade him to put into it. Things definitely begin to fall apart when you press.

But, generally, I think spawn Astarion would be ecstatic about having his mortality back. Sure, that means foregoing things like eternal "life" and regenerative powers, but no longer having to worry about daylight, rivers, and holy artefacts would very much balance it out. Astarion's hapiness would be enough to give DU drow the necessary peace of mind when facing any of the related downsides.

Also - they are still relatively ambitious and power-hungry. When time started rolling through, DU drow would prooooobably come up with the brilliant idea to pursue some other means of immortality for themselves, which for the record I think is absolutely hysterical and says a lot about the guy's thought process (FIRST, we cure you of your vampirism, THEN, we give you immortal life - the logic is infallible).

But also this is all presupposing he wouldn't come to accept Astarion's eventual death through old age just through like, you know, personal growth. I don't have these guys' lives planned from start to finish, and anything could happen.

(As an addendum, this ask isn't about my thoughts on whether or not it is thematically better for Astarion to turn back or not - I'm just entertaining the concept.)

#ask #du drow and astarion #du drow #astarion

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mollysunder · 5 months ago

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Viktor's Sources of "Inspiration"

The hexcore is incomplete. Currently Viktor only has the runes of Precision, Domination, Sorcery, and Resolve. To complete the hexcore and unlock it's true potential he'll need Inspiration, but where will he find it?

Viktor could find Inspiration through Sky. The most noteworthy possible hint was in Sky's last scene. Sky's last words to herself were how Viktor inspired her, and in that moment we get a glimpse of her notebook. Some have speculated that the emblem on the cover of her notebook resembles the Inspiration rune itself.

Sky also left a series of notes from her undisclosed research project. From the quick shots we get of her notes we can assume Sky was researching methods to stimulate plant growth. Her research may be in a similar vein to Viktor's research where he experimented with how the hexcore reacted to organic plant matter and stimulated its growth in turn. Could Sky's research be the key that will help Viktor stabilize the effects of the hexcore on organic matter like plants (and people)?

Even in death Sky's character could serve to reflect the theme of inspiration that Viktor desperately needs...

Except the Inspiration rune does represent the literal definition of the word "inspiration". In Runeterra, the Inspiration rune is meant to symbolize the ability to "Outwit mere mortals". In-game the Inspiration path gives players a set of tools they can use to apply unconventional strategies to outwit their enemies. And the one character that demonstrates those traits the best in Arcane is Jinx.

The first time the Inspiration rune's meaning was applied correctly in a sentence was when Viktor was describing the design of Jinx's chomper grenade. And it's true, thematically Jinx's chomper grenades and they way she uses them align with how "inspired" tools work.

Jinx was able to pull off a 3-in-1 trick with her chomper. The grenade was the bait and the snare against the enforcers, the distraction Jinx used to steal classified technology and info from Piltover, and the means that Jinx would use to frame the Firelights in her crimes. Technically she's gotten away with it all so far. What Jinx with her tools does isn't just outwitting her enemies, she's running laps around them.

Another possible clue that could mean Jinx will help Viktor discover the Inspiration rune is that her champion tag was disguised as a rune within the hexcore in Viktor's Magician tarot card. The same tarot card that gives us a brief shot of the Machine Herald's silhouette.

Maybe this all leads to Viktor working with Jinx next season, even learning from her to the point where he'll even end up taking a page out of Jinx's playbook. Viktor's set to be banished from his research bubble in Zaun, in a time where allies will be hard to come by and enemies will be easy to make.

Sky and Jinx are two very different characters that manage to apply the term inspiration in two very different ways. I want to think that was on purpose by the writers. But who knows for sure though, we can only see how things turn out next season.

tldr: Sky represents the traditional definition of inspiration, while Jinx better embodies the Runeterra's definition of the actual Inspiration rune. Sky's death may also be a weird rune pun.

#arcane #arcane meta #sky young #jinx arcane #viktor arcane #jinx and viktor #if you think about it when sky says she's been inspired by viktor he then accidentally gets her assimilated into the hexcore #where she becomes a part of his “inspired” tool #it's pretty dark pun #arcane writers just can't resist their ridiculous puns #plz ignore the fact that the precision rune at the top is upside down #i was tired when i mad that and I'm too lazy to fix it #league of legends

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apollogeticx · 2 months ago

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✧˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ LABOUR ♡·˚

— [♡] ; souls tied by fate will inevitably cross paths again. ｡°. gojo satoru

tags: endgame gojo satoru, afab!reader, slow burn, pregnancy, regret, hurt/comfort, angst, co-parenting, vulnerable gojo satoru, past suguru geto x reader, past rejection, longing, bittersweet, I'm dramatic so I write dramatic shit, chapter six of ten

wc. 3.4K

Months had passed since Gojo’s unexpected visit, and life had changed in ways you could never have imagined. The confrontation had been a turning point, not just for you but for Geto as well. After Gojo had infiltrated the hideout and taken back the cursed womb paintings, it had become clear that staying in that place was no longer an option. The hideout had become compromised, and Geto knew that Gojo wouldn’t let the matter rest so easily.

In the weeks that followed, Geto moved you to a new hideout, far from the remnants of the old one, in a remote, forested area where sunlight filtered through the trees and cast dappled shadows on the ground. The new location was much more peaceful, almost serene compared to the darkness of the old hideout. It was secluded, quiet, and perfect for the family you were building together.

The months slipped by in a blur of change and growth. You gave birth to a beautiful baby—a daughter who was the very image of both you and Geto. She was the light of your life, her presence filling the hideout with an energy you hadn’t realized you’d been missing. Geto had been overjoyed when she was born, his pride and love for her—and for you—radiating from him in everything he did. He had been there for every moment, caring for you both with a tenderness you hadn’t expected but had come to treasure.

But now, only a few months after her birth, you were pregnant once more.

This time, it was different. The signs had been clear early on, and when you had finally confirmed it, the realization had hit you like a wave. Twins. You were carrying twins this time, and though the prospect filled you with excitement, it also brought with it a new layer of worry. You had barely adjusted to life as a mother to one, and now you were about to bring two more children into the world.

Geto had been thrilled when you told him, his eyes lighting up with a rare kind of joy that softened the sharpness of his usual demeanor. “Twins,” he had said, his hand resting gently on your growing belly. “We’re building an empire.”

The words had sent a thrill through you, the idea of raising these children together, of building a family in the midst of the chaos of the sorcerer world, giving you a sense of purpose that you hadn’t known you needed. And yet, there was a part of you that couldn’t ignore the growing danger. You knew that Gojo and Jujutsu High were still out there, that they hadn’t forgotten about you or Geto’s plans. But for now, you were safe—at least as safe as you could be in the world you had chosen.

The new hideout was much brighter than the last. Geto had gone to great lengths to make sure you and your children had a comfortable space, one that felt more like a home than the hideouts of the past. The nursery, once again, was your favorite room—a large, sunlit space filled with soft colors and warm light. It had become your haven, where you spent most of your days, preparing for the arrival of the twins while caring for your daughter.

You were sitting in the rocking chair, your belly round and heavy with the weight of the twins, as your daughter played quietly on the floor nearby. She had her father’s eyes, dark and watchful, and though she was still so young, there was a certain calmness about her that reminded you so much of Geto. It was comforting, knowing that she had inherited his strength, his quiet confidence.

Geto had been gone for a few days on another mission, but he had promised to return soon. The time apart was always difficult, but you knew that these missions were necessary for his plans, for the future he was building. Still, you missed him—missed the quiet moments you shared together, the way he looked at you with that soft intensity that made you feel like the most important person in his world.

As you rocked gently in the chair, your daughter babbling softly to herself as she played, you placed a hand on your belly, feeling the soft movements of the twins inside. It was a strange feeling, carrying two lives within you at once. They shifted and kicked, reminding you constantly of the future that was coming—one that was full of uncertainty but also full of promise.

The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm, golden glow over the room when you heard the familiar sound of footsteps approaching. You smiled to yourself, knowing that it could only be one person.

Geto stepped into the room, his presence immediately filling the space with a sense of calm and security. His dark eyes softened when he saw you, his gaze lingering on your swollen belly before moving to your daughter, who looked up at him with a bright smile.

“There’s my little troublemaker,” Geto said softly, crouching down to scoop her up into his arms. She giggled, her tiny hands grabbing onto his shirt as she pressed her face against his chest.

He straightened up, holding her easily in one arm as he turned his attention to you. “And how are you?” His voice was gentle, his eyes filled with concern as he glanced at your belly.

“I’m fine,” you reassured him, smiling up at him as he approached. “The twins are restless, but nothing I can’t handle.”

Geto chuckled, a rare sound that warmed your heart. “They’ll be here soon enough,” he said, his free hand reaching out to rest on your belly. His touch was warm, grounding, and you leaned into it, feeling the connection between the three of you—soon to be five.

“Soon,” you echoed softly, your eyes meeting his. “Are you ready for it? Three children in this world?”

Geto’s expression softened, his thumb gently stroking your skin as he looked down at your belly. “I’m ready,” he said quietly. “This is what we’re building, isn’t it? A family. A future.”

His words sent a surge of warmth through you, and for the first time in a long while, you felt a deep sense of peace. The world outside might be full of danger and uncertainty, but in this moment, in this room, with Geto and your daughter by your side, you felt safe.

And as you looked into Geto’s eyes, you knew that no matter what the future held, you would face it together. You had chosen this path, and with Geto by your side, you would see it through.

The twins shifted inside you, their movements soft and reassuring, and you smiled, knowing that soon, your family would grow even more.

This was the life you had chosen—a life filled with love, with purpose, and with a future you were determined to build.

No matter what came next, you were ready.

The battle for Jujutsu High had been inevitable. You had known for months that it was coming, looming over you like a dark cloud that refused to dissipate. Geto had grown more determined, more driven, in the time since your twins had begun to grow inside you. He was relentless in his pursuit of a new world, one where jujutsu sorcerers ruled with power and clarity, without the burdens of the weak dragging them down.

You had supported him, believed in him, even as your belly grew heavy with the weight of the twins. But there had always been a sense of dread lurking at the back of your mind—a fear that, despite all of his strength, despite his conviction, the day would come when the world would come crashing down around him. Around you.

That day had come.

Geto had set his sights on Yuta Okkotsu, a first-year student at Jujutsu High who possessed a terrifying cursed energy bound to the spirit of Rika Orimoto. Yuta’s power, untrained and unstable, was something Geto believed he could harness—a final piece in his plan to bring down Jujutsu High and reshape the world.

Your daughter was safe in the new hideout, under the watchful eyes of trusted followers, but despite your protests, Geto had insisted that you accompany him. “You’re part of this future too,” he had said, his eyes filled with a dark determination. “I want you by my side when we finally break free.”

And so, at seven months pregnant, you had found yourself on the battlefield, standing in the shadows as Geto led his army of cursed spirits into the heart of Jujutsu High. The battle was chaotic, filled with the crackle of cursed energy, the roars of curses clashing, and the cries of sorcerers fighting for their lives.

At first, it had seemed as though Geto was winning. His army of cursed spirits overwhelmed the defenses of Jujutsu High, pushing deeper and deeper into the school’s grounds. But as the battle raged on, something shifted. Yuta Okkotsu, that boy who had once been so unsure of himself, began to tap into the full power of Rika. The cursed energy that had once seemed chaotic and uncontrollable now surged through him with terrifying precision.

You watched from a distance, your heart pounding in your chest as the tide of the battle turned. Yuta’s strength was growing, and even from where you stood, you could feel the pressure of his cursed energy. And then, in the midst of it all, another familiar presence appeared on the battlefield.

Satoru Gojo.

His appearance was like a bolt of lightning cutting through the chaos, his cursed energy overwhelming everything around him. He moved with effortless grace, cutting through curses and enemies alike, his eyes—piercing blue, unhidden by his blindfold—focused on one person.

Geto.

Your heart clenched as you saw the two of them meet in the center of the battlefield, their cursed energies colliding in a way that shook the very ground beneath them. This was it.

For a brief moment, the world seemed to still. Gojo and Geto stood facing each other, their expressions unreadable, but the weight of their shared history hung between them like a thick fog.

You could only watch as the two men—once friends, now enemies—began to fight.

It was brutal. The clash of their cursed energy was so intense that the air seemed to crackle with power. Every blow, every strike, sent shockwaves through the battlefield, curses and sorcerers alike pushed back by the sheer force of it. You could barely breathe as you watched, your hands instinctively moving to rest on your swollen belly, as if to shield your unborn children from the violence unfolding before you.

But as strong as Geto was, as determined as he had been, there was no denying the truth: Gojo was stronger.

Slowly, but surely, Gojo began to overpower him. Geto fought with everything he had, summoning curses, using his immense skill in manipulating cursed energy, but it wasn’t enough. Gojo’s strength, his precision, was too much.

And then, it happened.

Gojo’s hand moved faster than you could follow, a burst of cursed energy surging from him, striking Geto with devastating force. Time seemed to slow as the impact hit, and for a moment, everything was silent. The world seemed to stop.

Geto staggered back, blood spilling from his wounds, his body shaking as he struggled to stay upright. But it was clear—he had lost.

The realization hit you like a tidal wave, the air ripped from your lungs as you watched Geto fall to his knees, his strength finally giving out. Gojo stood over him, his face unreadable, his hand raised as if preparing to deliver the final blow.

“No…” you whispered, your voice trembling with fear and disbelief. You tried to move, tried to run to Geto’s side, but your body was heavy, the weight of your pregnancy slowing you down. Tears welled up in your eyes as you watched the man you had loved, the father of your children, lying defeated before Gojo.

Geto looked up at Gojo, his face pale, but there was a strange calmness in his eyes. He didn’t look afraid. In fact, he almost seemed… relieved.

“You’ve won, Satoru,” Geto said, his voice weak but steady. “But I still believe… in what I’ve done. In what I’ve built.”

Gojo’s expression didn’t change. There was no satisfaction in his eyes, no sense of victory. Just a deep, unspoken sadness. “Suguru,” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the chaos around them. “It didn’t have to be like this.”

Geto chuckled softly, his breath ragged as he looked up at Gojo one last time. “Maybe not,” he murmured. “But this was the path I chose.”

For a long moment, Gojo didn’t move. He stood there, his hand still raised, his gaze locked onto Geto. You held your breath, praying that somehow, someway, this wouldn’t end the way you feared.

But then, with a single, swift movement, Gojo brought his hand down.

Geto crumpled to the ground, the last of his strength finally leaving him. His body lay still, lifeless, the man who had once been so strong, so full of conviction, now nothing more than a shell.

You fell to your knees, the weight of the moment crashing down on you like a storm. Tears streamed down your face as you clutched your belly, your heart breaking into a thousand pieces. Geto was gone. The man you had loved, the father of your children, was gone.

And Gojo… Gojo just stood there, his eyes filled with a grief that mirrored your own.

For a long time, neither of you moved. The battle had ended, but the war was far from over.

With Geto’s death, everything had changed.

The world blurred around you. The battlefield was silent now, the remnants of cursed energy still thick in the air. But none of that mattered. Your eyes were locked on the still form of Suguru Geto, lying crumpled on the ground like a broken doll.

He was gone.

A scream tore from your throat, primal and filled with a grief so deep that it felt like your soul was being ripped apart. You tried to stand, to run to his side, but your legs refused to cooperate. The weight of your seven-month pregnancy made every movement sluggish, and the overwhelming despair crashing over you made it impossible to breathe. Tears blurred your vision as your sobs echoed through the stillness.

“Suguru…”

You could barely choke out his name. The realization hit you again and again, like waves pulling you under, and there was no escape. The twins inside you kicked, their tiny movements a cruel reminder that life continued, even in the face of such loss.

Suddenly, you felt a presence beside you.

His cursed energy was unmistakable, overwhelming in its intensity, but something in the air had changed. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him, not now, not after what he had done. But you could feel him standing there, staring down at Geto’s body, his own emotions swirling just as violently as yours.

You didn’t need to see his face to know what he was feeling. You had seen it before, years ago, when the friendship between Geto and Gojo had first fractured. The regret. The pain. The weight of a lost bond that neither of them had ever fully reconciled. And now, with Geto lying dead at Gojo’s feet, that grief hung thick in the air.

“Suguru…” Gojo’s voice was barely a whisper, cracking with na emotion that was rare for him. It was filled with something raw, something you had never heard from him before. “Why did it have to end like this?”

You could hear the pain in his voice, the quiet devastation he tried to hide. But your heart was too shattered to care. You didn’t care about his regrets or the pain in his voice. None of it mattered anymore. Geto was gone, and nothing could bring him back.

“You killed him,” you spat, your voice thick with sobs. “You killed him, Gojo!”

Gojo flinched at the accusation, but he didn’t respond. His eyes, still trained on Geto’s body, were filled with something indescribable—a mix of guilt, sorrow, and the weight of na impossible choice. You could see the war inside him, the conflict of someone who had done what he thought was necessary but hated himself for it all the same.

You tried to push yourself up, but the weight of your grief and the physical strain of your pregnancy made it impossible. Every movement felt like trying to swim through mud, your body too heavy with the burden of loss and the life you carried.

Gojo took a step toward you, his hand reaching out as if to help, but you recoiled from him, your entire body trembling with anger and pain. “Don’t touch me,” you hissed, your voice venomous. “You’ve taken everything from me.”

Gojo’s hand dropped to his side, and he took a step back, his eyes filled with na overwhelming sense of helplessness. “I didn’t—” he started, his voice faltering, but he didn’t finish the sentence. What could he say? There were no words that could undo what had been done.

The silence stretched between you, thick and oppressive. The battle had ended, but the war inside your heart had only just begun. You clutched your belly, feeling the soft kicks of your unborn twins, a reminder that even in this moment of loss, life persisted. But the thought of raising your children without Geto, without the man who had promised to build a future with you, made the grief that much more unbearable.

Your daughter. She was back at the hideout, safe and unaware of the horror that had unfolded here. But how could you explain this to her? How could you tell her that her father was never coming home?

The thought sent another wave of despair crashing over you, and you doubled over, sobbing uncontrollably.

Gojo knelt down beside you, but he kept his distance, not daring to reach out again. His voice was soft, filled with a quiet urgency. “You have to leave, now. It’s not safe for you here.”

You barely heard him. The world around you was spinning, collapsing in on itself. All you could think about was Geto, lying so still, so far from the man who had once been so strong, so full of life.

But Gojo didn’t give up. He leaned closer, his voice firm this time, though still tinged with that uncharacteristic vulnerability. “You can’t stay here. If they find you—if they find the kids…”

The mention of your children snapped something inside you back into place. Despite everything, despite the crushing weight of your grief, you knew he was right. Your twins, your daughter—they were still here, still alive. You had to protect them. You had to survive, even if it felt impossible.

With great effort, you forced yourself to breathe, to focus. The reality of the situation was inescapable. Geto was gone, and staying here would only put you and your children in more danger. You couldn’t let his death be in vain. You couldn’t let your children suffer because of it.

You nodded weakly, not trusting your voice to speak. Gojo watched you carefully, his expression unreadable but filled with something close to relief. He stood and offered you his hand again, more hesitant this time, as though he expected you to reject him once more.

This time, you didn’t.

With trembling fingers, you took his hand, letting him pull you to your feet. The weight of your pregnancy made you unsteady, but Gojo’s hand remained firm, steadying you as you rose. He glanced at your belly, his jaw tightening for a moment before his eyes met yours again.

“I’ll get you out of here,” he said quietly, his voice resolute. “You and the kids. I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

You wanted to hate him, to push him away, to blame him for everything. But right now, you had no choice. You needed to survive. For your children, if nothing else.

As Gojo led you away from the battlefield, away from the body of the man you loved, you cast one final glance over your shoulder. Geto lay motionless on the ground, the man who had promised you a future, the man who had fought so hard to change the world.

But that future was gone now, shattered like the life you had built together.

All that remained was the uncertain path ahead.

notes: if you wanna be tagged just let me know! <3

taglist: @username23345 @arminswifee @tomiokasecretlover @ffyona1214 @tojirin @eggrollforyou @ironicsss @asahinasstuff @feitanett @xdinaryheroesstan @laviefantasie @hyunsuks-beanie @starlightanyaaa @tanyaspartak @forever-paramore28 @saatorubby @ssetsuka @archiveoftherain @kxrla-20

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youremyheaven · 11 months ago

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Random Vedic Astrology Observations

Adele who is Ardra Rising and Lana Del Rey who is Ardra Sun both have a Paradise tattoo on the side of their hand

This is very interesting symbolism because Ardra nakshatra is preceded by Mrigashira nak which follows the fall from Paradise.

2. Pisces natives 🤝🏼 sculptures

L to R

Rihanna- Revati Stellium (including Moon & Rising)

Ava Gardner- Ketu in (1 degree Pisces) Purvabhadrapada

Bella Hadid- Ketu in UBP

Rosie Huntington Whiteley- UBP Mercury & Rahu, Mars in Purvabhadrapada (0 degrees Pisces) and Jupiter in Revati atmakaraka

Jin- UBP Moon

Isabelle Adjani- Revati Rising

Salma Hayek- UBP Moon

3. Jyeshtas really love jewellery

Vidya Balan- Mercury in Jyeshta (atmakaraka)

Rekha- Jyeshta Rising

Kim Kardashian- Jyeshta Rising

Nicki Minaj- Jyeshta Sun

4. I'd earlier made an observation about how Mars influenced men tend to go after older women and I thought I'd add a few more examples to that list!!

Sachin Tendulkar & Anjali Tendulkar have an age gap of 6 years and their wedding was hugely controversial when it took place in the 90s. Sachin was only 22 when he got married.

Sachin has Mars in Dhanishta atmakaraka and Moon in Purvashada amatyakaraka

Shikhar Dhawan and his ex-wife Ayesha Mukerji have an age gap of 10 years.

Shikhar is Dhanishta Rising, Mars in Chitra atmakaraka with Purvaphalguni Moon

Arjun Kapoor and Malaika Arora have an age gap of 12 years

He is most likely Chitra Rising

He also has Venus (amatyakaraka) conjunct Rahu in Bharani

I know that Bharani is Venus ruled but Bharani is the confluence of Mars & Venus energies and is ruled by the Mars ruled Aries and is another nakshatra that commonly appears in the charts of men drawn to older women

Aditya Pancholi is 6 years younger than his wife Zarina Wahab

He has Sun in Purva Ashadha, Venus amatyakaraka (in Jyeshta) Jupiter in Bharani and Rahu in Mrigashira

Karan Singh Grover is 6 years younger than Bipasha Basu

He has Moon in Dhanishta, Mars (amatyakaraka) conjunct Saturn (atmakaraka) in Chitra with Ketu in Purva Ashada

Vicky Kaushal is 5 years younger than Katrina Kaif

He has Venus in Mrigashira, Mars in Dhanishta, Jupiter (amatyakaraka) in Bharani, Ketu in Purva phalguni

Farhan Akhtar and his first wife, Adhuna Akhtar have an age gap of 7 years.

Farhan has Sun (atmakaraka) conjunct Mercury (amatyakaraka) in Purva Ashada and Saturn conjunct Ketu in Mrigashira

idk if im crazy but i think these 2 women have similar features 😭😭

Zhou Xun is Chitra Sun, Anuradha Moon, Swati Mercury, Chitra Venus & Mars

Ning Ning is Chitra Sun, Bharani Moon, Swati Venus and Ketu in Anuradha

6. Rihanna has a tattoo of Goddess Isis on her chest

Rihanna is Revati Moon and Goddess Isis had powers like love, healing, fertility, protection, wisdom and magic. By virtue of her magical knowledge, she was said to be "more clever than a million gods". Revati nakshatra natives are endowed with divine spiritual wisdom and the deity of Revati, Pushan is the Sun-god in the form of Divine Guide and Nourisher, who helps us to find the right path and leads us to the right solutions.

Revati represents wisdom, empathy, unconditional love, fertility, growth, prosperity & spirituality.

7. Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-American escape artist, illusionist, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts.

He has UBP Sun, Mrigashira Moon, Venus in Revati (exalted) and Ketu in Swati with Shravana Rising

Swati is connected to Maya or illusion so it makes sense as to why someone who has Ketu placed there would become notorious for hoodwinking the public.

Mrigashira nakshatra involves HEAVY themes of running away, escape and being trapped AND finding a way out. If you look at the mythology, its about Brahma's favourite daughter who takes the form of a deer to leave the heavens and run away to the earth to escape her father's sexual advances towards her.

Pisces rashi is almost always present in the charts of magicians or people who have some kind of illusory appeal on the public. Most mega successful celebrities have prominent Pisces placements, most supremely talented actors and singers do. The ability to put yourself out there yet remain completely mysterious and keep people under a veil is a uniquely Piscean trait.

Obviously with that Shravana Asc, he was basically born for this job. Moon dominant people are ADEPT at manipulation and making black seem like white or vice versa.

Dua Lipa recently released a song titled Houdini and she's Punarvasu Moon which I think is another nakshatra that is good at casting illusions.

#sidereal astrology #astrology notes #vedic astro notes #astrology observations #vedic astrology #nakshatras #astro observations #astro notes #astrology #astroblr

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soaringwide · 6 months ago

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Pick a Card: Finding the right career

Hello :p

Today's reading is a career guidance, where we're going to look at your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to your career, what motivates you and the potential for growth to see what career would suit you the most.

This reading is meant for people who are wondering about what path to take, or those wishing to make a change. We'll also look at how you'll be able to tell it's indeed the right choice.

As always this is a general reading that may not apply to everyone 100%.

Note that if you like my reading style, I offer private readings. You can learn more about that in my pinned post.

Pile 1

Cards: 5 of Cups, 6 of Swords, Justice, the Lovers, 2 of Cups, 3 of Pentacles, 9 of Swords, 5 of Swords, Knight of Swords, King of Wands, Knight of Wands, Ace of Swords, Knight of Cups, 6 of Wands

It seems you are not that driven by money, but rather, by a strong sense of righteousness. It seems you are well aware of the human pains and struggles. You know how fragile life can be, and you think it's important to do something meaningful, not only for you own sense of purpose, but also for the sake of others.

Really, where other would pursue careers for fame or money, for you it's just about following your truth and speak your mind and heart. There is a real quest for meaning and doing what's right and a relentless pursuit to leave what doesn't align with truth behind. Where other would just accept what's not fair as something that cannot be changed, you refuse to take that stance and strive for change.

However, I see that you have a hard time with social or collaborative jobs. You don't like mingling with people, a networking event is probably your own personal hell, and you'd rather work on your own without having to rely on anyone's opinion. Could be a problem in your line of work since it's showing up strongly in this reading. It's also possible that you tend to be very critical of those around you, because you see their flaws clearly, and it's stopping you from seeing the good in people.

You are motivated by the idea of building something worth marveling for. You want to create something that will inspire and educate those around you and have a long lasting impact on your community. You want to be seen as a reference, and even though you don't want to have other people put their nose in your work, you still want to contribute to humanity's knowledge with the results of your hard work. There is the idea of a common effort towards a greater goal.

However, for you it'll be important to develop some skills. The cards point at some inner work that have to do with putting yourself down, devaluing yourself by comparing yourself to others. It's a source of great despair for you and something you need to work on. People are not metrics, we are all different in one way or another and comparing yourself to others the way you're doing it is actually detrimental to the quality of your work, as well as your well-being. It's also possible that all the conflicts in the world affect your mental health a great deal, connected to what you witness in the world. It will be important to keep going and not burn yourself out.

There is a lot of raw potential for growth in the realm of ambition and leadership, which it seems you haven't fully embraced yet. You can be a figure of authority in your field, leading with your sharp mind and ambitious assertiveness. You have the potential to be a strong willed, determined professional that can't be stopped by anything and will tackle the most difficult project.

For these reasons, I think the career it's pointing at has to do with the realm of communicating ideas, perhaps writing, academia or journalism. You will be able to cut through lies and outdated ideas with your words, seeking to bring clear communication. There is again the idea of service made to others, led by your sense of purpose and thirst for truth. This career would put you in the public eye where you would be celebrated openly for your work and ideas. I see this pile as someone who investigates, either matters of the world, society, politics, economics or science. In all cases, it allows you to combine your cleverness, your empathy and ambitious nature.

Finally, you'll be able to tell it's the right path for you because it will ignite your passion. You won't be able to think of anything else but the task at hand, and what to do to achieve it. The greater the challenge, the more fiery your determination will be. It will definitely not be something you hesitate on and will feel like a calling.

Pile 2

Cards: the Emperor, Judgement, 2 of Pentacles, Page of Pentacles, 5 of Pentacles, the High Priestess, 9 of Swords, King of Pentacles, 10 of Pentacles, the Hierophant Rx, the Tower, the Hanged Man, 3 of Cups, 8 of Swords, Queen of Pentacles, 9 of Wands, 7 of Swords

Your qualities when it comes to this career are about being a reliable figure in the life of those you help. The helping aspect comes up strongly as it will show in this reading, and basically it already show in your strengths. It's like you help people come to life again in some way. You are strong when it comes to leading the way towards transformation, and have a strong impact on people. They can sense they can come to you for support and you give a vibe of wisdom and order.

However, it seems that you are also quite inexperienced and this is making you hesitate quite a lot. There is probably a strong learning curve when it comes to this career and you're not quite there yet. You may be lacking something, whether its the status or the resources, in order to fully embody your qualities. So it seems your situation right now is a weakness, and that it's not so much coming from you.

What drives you is, again, the desire to help those in need, those in pain who don't know where to get help from, when it seems there is no way out or hope left. You see their pain clearly and it somehow motivates you and gives you a sense of purpose in life. You might be religious or spiritual in some way and this feeds your motivation to help and care, like some type of mission.

When it comes to skills you can to develop here, there is a need to remain detached in the face of adversity to not let it submerge you, perhaps to let go of your own fatalistic vision of life. There is a lot of talk around you, and perhaps you listen to the words of others too much and it's making you confused and directionless. You must get your mind in order and be firmly set into your own stability, by being pragmatic and protective of your own well-being. Stop listening to everything everyone says and remain grounded in your own judgement.

So all that is telling me that your career has to do with helping the sick, be they mentally or physically impaired. You show up as a very nurturing figure, someone who wish to see people thrive and get back to health, and I see you surrounded by people with bandages, or people who are disabled in one way or another (again for some of you it could be mentally or physically). Your future career may be nurse, rehabilitation or support worker, or even doctor of some kind.

It seems that for some of you, this career will be embraced after you've been somewhat forced by life to take a different turn, something you hadn't anticipated and shows up as a surprise. For others, it could simply mean that you will be surrounded by catastrophic accidents and unforeseen circumstances, and I'm picturing an emergency room when I'm writing this. Like, you will be forced to grow because the chaos surrounding you will call for someone to do something, and you've got what it takes to do so.

You will know this is the right path for you after contemplating your decision for a long time. You'll mull over your choices and options, and even discuss it with loved ones in order to make sure its the right one for you because you don't take it lightly as it will come with some type of sacrifice for your time and energy. Basically you'll need to dedicate yourself fully to this and you know this. But overall, once you're decided, you'll be very happy of your choice and eager to enjoy the good sides that comes with the job.

Pile 3

Cards: 8 of Swords, 2 of Pentacles, 3 of Swords, 9 of Wands, King of Cups, the Fool, the Star, the Empress, 10 of Swords rx, 2 of Swords, Death, 5 of Wands, Page of Pentacles, 10 of Pentacles, the Magician, Judgement, 7 of Cups

When it comes to your strengths, you're someone who can fuel themselves with the shit that life throws at them, never fully loosing their balance. You know how to get yourself out of tricky situation where you're blinded, and you're able to transmute your pains and power through the difficulties, never giving up even when it seems all odds are against you. What makes other abandon just make you angrier and more determined to succeed. You are extremely resilient and this gives you an outlook on life that anything is possible. If something doesn't work you discard it and move on to the next thing.

However, it seems you are sometimes too eager to try something new without committing to one thing for a long time. You're a Jack of all trades and it's hard to get you stay in the same spot for long. It's like, you keep wanting to try to see if this path is better than this one, or if this thing would be more exciting than this other thing, and so on. You emotions also tend to shift easily and influence the way you see things, it's like, you feel things so intensely it's overwhelming and that's just the way you function and it's hard to live differently.

When it comes to what drives you, you get a great sens of purpose coming from beauty and aesthetics, or even arts. The path towards beauty and pleasure, is the highroad to heaven for you. You are truly an aesthete at heart, and want nothing more than to honor what you find sublime in the world, as for you it is the purpose and the meaning of life.

When it comes to what skill you can develop, you got two cards signifying blockage and defeat, which makes me think this has a lot to do with overcoming you own issues surrounding your creative expression, which stem from your mind. It's like, nothing is really getting in your way but your own thoughts. You have trouble releasing your perceived failure so you're stopping yourself from trying anything different, fearing it will only confirm your loss. Perhaps that's the reason you keep switching things all the time, because can you really fail if you never tried until the very end?

There is a deep potential for growth though, and it has to do with the way your compare yourself to either other people, or to your own ideal self. It's like, you've got this image in your mind of what you should achieve and you're tormenting yourself for not being able to achieve it. What you don't understand it's that it's counter productive and that you have to put an end to this way of thinking. You need to break the pattern in order to be free.

All of this makes me think that your job has to do with some type of artistic or creative career where you bring ideas into the world, pulling them from a space unique and special to you. The idea of transforming things, putting values into question, bending rules is also quite important, as well as is the idea of communication to a larger audience. I will also add that you might not box yourself into just one type of creative expression, but rather dabble into many different things. It seems you are not so much passionate about one medium but rather as I said earlier by the pursuit of beauty in all its form, so I totally see you trying out different things and it seems that you'll be good at most of them naturally.

You will know it's the right path for you because it'll allow you to have a vision. It's like, you'll find a tiny window with a tiny opportunity and it'll ignite you mind, making you think about all that's possible in every different direction, and the legacy you could leave. It's really all about triggering your long term motivation and what will make you want to dedicate your life, or long time anyway, to. As we saw earlier, you have commitment issues regarding your creative pursuits so this will have to do with sticking to it in the long term, even if that means doing multiple things in parallel or taking breaks and coming back to things.

#pick a card #pick a card reading #tarot reading #pick a pile #PAC #PAC reading #divination #tarot community #tarotblr #soaringwide tarot reading #tarot reader #soaringwide

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mariaelenaariente · 2 years ago

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Astro Observations - Placements I Adore

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Sagittarius placements - I have to admit I have a soft spot for all the mutable placements out there, but Sag... especially Moon and/or Mercury/Mars... y'all are insanely intuitive (big plus if you ask me), courageous, open minded (unless the native is unevolved and choosing the "I'm the only one who knows the truth so let me impose it on you" path), and just generally such a great vibe. I've always strugged to put my admiration for this energy into words because it's just... so great ugh

1st/7th/10th/11th house Venus - these people are generally so well-liked it's crazy. They have just the right type of natural charm about them that draws people in, and I'm here for it. They're charismatic, generally social and outgoing, and perceived in such a romantic light by the public.

Taurus and Leo placements - if you have both Taurus and Leo placements in your chart you've won the astrological lottery as long as I'm concerned. These two signs are each the culmination of something special - for Taurus, it's good taste, appreciation of nature, and food, animal love, fragrances. For Leo, it's creativity, joy, life, loyalty, and general warm infatuation with life - does this make sense to anybody else?

1st/4th/7th/10th house Mars or Saturn - Yes this energy isn't easy and needs a lot of attention and mastering from the native, so seeing it in full force, especially in someone who fully mastered it, is rare. BUT! An angular Mars or Saturn is so powerful and incredibly fascinating to observe. Tapping into this energy, if you happen to have it in your birth chart, is a game changer. EDIT: You need to consider your whole chart when trying to master this energy. If you wish to hear my input, I have an affordable one-question chart analysis available.

8th house Venus or Jupiter - They attract support and help with such ease. They get whatever they wish for. Others will easily show up for them whenever they need and they easily benefit from the people in their life (not in a manipulating type of way).

12th house Moon - another tough placement, however - once the native gets in touch with this energy and learns to use it for their benefit and spiritual growth, there's no stopping them. Possibly the most intuitive, spiritual, healing placement I have ever observed. They're in touch with their subconscious which makes any type of work on themselves much smoother.

Gemini placements - if you actually believe Geminis to be two-faced, you don't know what you're missing out on. The chameleons of the zodiac, these placements can talk their way out or into pretty much anything. They'll mirror your own energy back to you so maybe if you can't stand them it's time to do some inner work.

Prominent Neptune - dreamy, ethereal, spiritual, intuitive, poetic, and artistic - what more can I say?

Cancer Mercury - They'll intuitively know what you need and show up for you. They'll also destroy your life and burn your house to the ground if you cross them. Love that for them.

Virgo Sun - Virgos are underrated. I'm tired of all the neat-freak stereotypes, they carry such strong intellectual energy. They can easily get on top of most situations by simply following their instincts. They'll give you awesome advice based on the many rabbit holes they've gone through in the past five days online. They'll be there for you when you need them. Also, there's a strong sexual energy here I rarely see anyone talk about, so I could make a post about it if anyone's interested.

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recent-rose · 2 months ago

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heres the thing abt kairi. i don't think she's poorly written, i think she's poorly executed. like there's a conflict/lack of cohesive vision for her and they're trying to shoehorn her into a role she does not fit.

nomura, from kh1, has clearly always wanted kairi to remain a link to the past/manifestation of fond memories of childhood/like a bittersweet hometown that isn't quite the same when you come back as an adult. that's the role he has consistently, persistently assigned to her. and there's nothing wrong with that. not every character ever has to take an active role and be a hero and do Things. sometimes characters exist to embody an allegory, or symbolism, or an idea. that was kairi, initially. embodiment of home, safety, comfort, childhood. for that matter, riku was the future, the unknown, growing up and letting childhood go. sora, of course, a boy coming of age and being torn between the two.

so consequently i've never understand the choice to make her a keyblade wielder when she's already a princess of heart twice over. like it or not the princesses of heart have an established role in the story and it's not fighting on the front lines. she could have been a leader and taken an active role in her own way if they really wanted, without ever needing to hold a keyblade and be a Chosen One, Also!(tm). in this way she also would have maintained a cohesive narrative role in the story. her path would still be diverging from sora's, and it would be as bittersweet and nostalgic as it was in kh1 without the clownery than her involvement in endgame kh2 onward has been mired in.

what clownery, you ask? kairi literally cannot grow as a person while in sora's orbit. we've seen it happen again and again, any growth she gets is away from sora and any time she's near him she regresses as a character. this is because, again, she is absolutely cemented in the minds of the writers as The Nostalgic Past that sora is holding onto. in the context of the kh narrative, she can literally be nothing else to him. there's no more growth to be had between them. hence, every time their relationship ends up the focus in a scene you can't help but feel the rapidly growing distance between where they once were vs where they now are as individuals. this relationship can, imo, ONLY be regressive to both of them in the context of kh's overarching narrative where kairi is constantly (and overtly) being framed as Sora's Idealized Childhood. or, as a prize he 'wins' when the story ends. the two are fairly connected in kh.

back on track, having kairi remain a princess of heart and not a keyblade wielder also would've solved the problem of the writing team having to shelve/fridge her every time they want riku+sora to go on another romantic getawa - uhhh adventure together. like she was asleep for a year post kh3? and now she's going to train with aqua while riku goes to rescue the love of his l - i mean bestest best boy friend again? you're joking.

it just stinks of trying to girlbossify a character so she can 'keep up' with her male counterparts in the eyes of media illiterate consumers who associate a lack of a weapon with a lack of power. dawg we're past that. female characters can be relevant, important, interesting and powerful without following in the exact footsteps of their male counterparts. and this is to say nothing of kairi's keyblade bequeathing being a relative accident and how it creates a pretty glaring plot hole because somehow xion and roxas, sora's nobodies, can wield keyblades at will but namine can't? okay. yes, perhaps we just haven't been 'shown' her wielding a keyblade. maybe. but i think it seriously indicates that they had no intention of making kairi a keyblade wielder in the first place.

and don't get me wrong, if they intended on changing/overhauling her role going forward i would understand making her not just a wielder but a guardian of light. problem is, they have already established she's not going to be fighting/active in the next game. she is, yet again, the home they are returning to and not the future they're moving towards. this, consequently, will continue causing some major tonal dissonance among those who either consciously or unconsciously recognize that kairi is not meant to be where she is currently placed in the narrative. she's SHOWN to be just a regular girl who still to this day does not particularly want to go adventuring, and yet we're TOLD again and again that she's a warrior now, riding on sora and riku's coattails regrettably. it's just so tonally off.

#kingdom hearts #tagging this as #soriku #because im one of Those myself and i feel like it has given me some specific Views on this subject #people have no doubt already said this because kh meta has been meta'd to death over the last like 2 decades but here be my conclusions #dont take it too seriously this is some pretty subjective stuff and i just love musing #kh #.txt

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blackflash9 · 1 month ago

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Arno vs Shay: What Everyone Gets Wrong

The desire to see an Arno vs. Shay confrontation is a deeply misguided sentiment I've seen from the AC community. It harms both characters' integrity, individual stories, and the more prominent themes they represent. While the community may be drawn to the idea of pitting these two protagonists against each other, such a conflict would not only undermine the complexity of their narratives but also ignore the thematic significance of their character arcs—particularly the exploration of fanaticism, disillusionment, and the deconstruction of power and freedom.

First and foremost, the idea of Arno and Shay as a revenge story imposes a false and conventional binary of "hero vs. villain," which is entirely counterproductive to the nuanced storytelling that defines both Assassin’s Creed Unity and Assassin’s Creed Rogue. Arno’s journey is not one of blind loyalty to the Assassin Brotherhood or of revenge, and Shay’s defection to the Templars is not born out of a simplistic villainous turn. Both characters grapple with the fanaticism of their respective factions, and both reject extremism in their own ways. By forcing them into an artificial feud, their journeys of self-realization, moral conflict, regression, and growth are reduced to a superficial conflict that entirely misses the point of their arcs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thematic Dissonance and the Core Conflict of Unity & Rogue

The crux of Arno's story in Unity is deconstructing the Creed’s maxim about power and freedom. The backdrop of the French Revolution amplifies this, where ideals of liberty and justice quickly devolve into cycles of oppression. Arno’s journey is about recognizing the dangers of fanaticism and blind idealism—whether from the Assassins, the Templars, or the revolutionary factions around him. He witnesses firsthand how fervent belief in freedom or power can turn people into fanatics, like Germain, Pierre, or even Elise, whose personal quest for revenge becomes all-consuming.

Shay’s story in Rogue is also rooted in his rejection of fanaticism, precisely the Assassins' relentless pursuit of Pieces of Eden, which leads to unnecessary death and destruction. His disillusionment stems from seeing how the Assassins’ blind commitment to their ideals can create chaos, driving him to defect to the Templars. Shay believes that joining them can help maintain order and prevent further devastation.

However, Shay’s act of killing Charles Dorian, which devastates Arno’s life, reveals his lack of personal growth. The very thing that led him to abandon the Assassins— perceiving their willingness to use him as a pawn to destroy innocent lives in Lisbon—is mirrored in his allegiance to the Templars. He’s become what he once despised by serving their goals, blindly causing destruction in their name. In the end, Shay has simply traded one form of fanaticism for another, finding himself back where he started, trapped in the same cycle he once sought to escape that subconsciously regrets and knows he can't escape.

The thematic depth of their stories collapses by reducing these characters to a meaningless confrontation. Arno’s story in Unity is about rejecting fanaticism and finding balance, learning to break free from the destructive cycles of vengeance and self-blame that consume those around him. Arno’s ultimate lesson is to move forward, not be trapped by the past—a lesson he embodies when he fixes his father’s broken watch, symbolizing his commitment to embracing a new, forward-looking path. This is the culmination of his arc: not revenge, not loyalty to a flawed creed, but the personal growth that comes from rejecting extremism in all its forms.

For Shay, who believes the Assassins are too fanatical and destructive, a direct conflict with Arno would only reinforce the false dichotomy between Assassin and Templar rather than acknowledging the nuanced reasons behind his choices. Shay is not a villain; he’s a broken man whose attempts to prevent more destruction result in him becoming manipulated for it due to being trapped in his past and unable to move forward. What Everyone Gets Wrong:

Ultimately, Shay and Arno's journeys reflect two sides of the same battle with fanaticism, yet their fates diverge dramatically from the Assassin’s Creed itself. Arno ultimately embodies the true spirit of the Creed, learning the dangers of rigid ideology and choosing his own path, rising above the tempting cycle of vengeance and destruction. Shay, on the other hand, fails to live by the Creed’s deeper wisdom. Despite rejecting the Assassins, he falls into the same trap of blind obedience, this time to the Templars, becoming a pawn in their quest for control. Where Arno succeeds in transcending, Shay remains ensnared—trapped in the fanaticism he sought to escape. There's no need for Arno to seek and "defeat" Shay. It's already happened.

#assassin's creed #templar assassin #assassin's creed unity #assassin's creed rogue #shay patrick cormac #arno dorian #arno vs shay #charles dorian #assassin's brotherhood #templar order

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